Space Dog

Are you keeping track of the Atlantis mission? I wish that I could be an astronaut!

I always wanted to be the first dog on the space station. There have already been many dogs in space.

The old Soviet Union used dogs in their race for space. In 1957, Laika was the first animal to orbit earth. It was a great day for dogs.

Sadly, Laika was also the first animal to die in space. Because of her gift, scientists learned a lot. They learned what they needed to do so that animals and people could live in space.

Many animals have flown into space. If you would like to learn more about animals in space, click on one of these sites:

• Astro-Animals
• NASA's History of Animals in Space

You can also check out these great books from your library:

• Space Dogs: Pioneers of Space Travel by Chris Dubbs
• Animals in Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle by Colin Burgess.